


feels like Christmas every time i'm with you

by InfiniteWoonique



Series: Bun in the Oven [15]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Christmas, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Family Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Mpreg, Nakamoto Yuta is Whipped, Pregnant Mark Lee, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:36:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28223271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfiniteWoonique/pseuds/InfiniteWoonique
Summary: date night is at home tonight, mark and yuta make the best of it
Relationships: Mark Lee/Nakamoto Yuta
Series: Bun in the Oven [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1159835
Kudos: 67





	feels like Christmas every time i'm with you

Mark huffed and jolted as he felt a kick to the ribs, hand resting over the spot his daughter had decided to pummel for the afternoon. She was doing it even more now that Mark was standing in the kitchen, grabbing the few shakers full of sprinkles that they owned. She was making it hard for Mark to do anything and he wondered if she'd ever stop. If she was anything like Yuta, she sadly wouldn't. The man was annoyingly persistent and their baby seemed to be the exact same. With every kick she landed on whatever organ she chose, the more the fatigue grew inside of Mark. 

She was one of the reasons they were staying in tonight. Lugging around a baby was hard work, especially a nearly full-term one inside of Mark's body. All he wanted to do was sit and relax and Yuta was more than happy to oblige, not particularly wanting to go out into the frigid air either. It was one of the coldest nights so far this December and why go out when you can stay inside and stay warm and cozy? _And_ cuddled up to your pregnant husband? Yuta was living the life and he didn't even have to leave his house. 

It was also two days before Christmas and that usually meant the hustle and bustle of preparations and last-minute gift grabs, the thrill of the holidays fueling everyone's spirits. It was stressful times and it was a lot to handle, and handling stress while pregnant was not one of Mark's strong suits. He preferred it away from all the noise and people and while Yuta was a bigger fan of the excitement, he was not willing to force Mark into something he wouldn't enjoy. He was content doing what his husband wanted at all times. 

So the two were spending the next few days in their own bubble, dressed in their matching Christmas pajamas and having their own kind of fun with no interruptions. Christmas pajamas were a must between them both and had been for years when it came to the holidays, even before they met each other. They typically wore onesies in the days leading up to Christmas, designed to look like a ridiculous Christmas character that would make them laugh upon sight, but finding a onesie that would fit a pregnant person's body was nearly impossible, especially someone as far along as Mark was. So they managed and figured that they could break their five-year running tradition and settle on two pieces instead of single sleepsuits. They could continue the next year's Christmas and have a baby joining in on their tradition. 

Tonight consisted of an at-home date night building a gingerbread house and decorating gingerbread men, something Mark had been dying to do ever since they started stacking kits on the shelves at the grocery stores. Yuta had never made one before so he was just as excited as Mark was, and the younger was excited to go through every detail with him. To make it even more special, they'd made their own gingerbread to use, preferring it fresh over mass-produced and boxed. Mark claimed it was better to work with and Yuta was all for baking with his husband, even if he did most of the work. 

With sprinkles now in hand, Mark walked back towards the kitchen table where Yuta patiently sat. His hips swayed from side to side, waddle prominent all thanks to his daughter. She was all out in front today and all Mark wanted to do was lay down and rest, that is if he could get comfortable first. Nothing felt comfortable, but he could handle sitting in his kitchen chairs for an hour and building a gingerbread house contentedly. Yuta would make it bearable; he always did. 

"Should we put a layer of frosting down all over the board first?" Yuta asked over his shoulder, eye contact with Mark all too serious. He held a container of vanilla frosting in his hand and a frosting spreader in the other, looking a little stiff, "Or should we just put it where we're going to put the walls of our house? Or, should we put it as we go and only use it when we need to stick something down, leaving the board mostly clean?" there were a lot of options to choose from. They had already filled piping bags with the frosting they needed and Yuta was trying to figure out how to sufficiently utilize the remainders as mortar. His perfectionism was showing. 

All in all, Yuta was taking building a gingerbread house a little too seriously and they hadn't even started yet. He was focused and calculating every little detail, not making any move until it was thought out so nothing would fall apart. Mark would understand if this was a house Yuta was building for them to live in, but this wasn't a real house. It was taking much more time than assembling a gingerbread house required, and Mark had to laugh, placing an endeared kiss on the top of his head. This man of his...

"You better put it all over the board or I'll try to eat whatever is left later," Mark pointed out as he finally sat down with a huff, already tempted by the sight of the sweet vanilla frosting, "Use as much as you can, and don't even save it for the fridge," earlier that week, Yuta had made the mistake of leaving leftover cookie dough in the fridge after making many more cookies than he had planned to. Yuta had shared how he was going to use the extra cookie dough to bake another batch of cookies when the freshly baked batch ran out, but it hadn't even lasted an hour before Mark had shamelessly scooped the bowl clean along with a handful of baked cookies, "Lord knows I'll try and eat it, and I don't think so much sugar is good for the baby," he remarked, a hand going to rest on the crest of his rounded belly. His daughter kicked again as though she understood he was talking about her. 

Most of Mark's cravings consisted of sugary foods and an affinity towards sweets and it being the holidays didn't help one bit. There were more reasons to bake and plenty of visitors were stopping by to offer cookies and baked goods they had and made a surplus of. They never lasted long in this house; Mark couldn't help himself when desserts were within a few feet of him. 

"I'll put it all over the board and use the rest as a binder," Yuta announced as he started to spread a thin layer of frosting over the board they were going to build their gingerbread house on. They needed a strong foundation to start with if they wanted their house to stay upright, "And about all that sugar, probably not," Yuta agreed with a shrug, lips pursed in thought, "I can stop baking if you want, and start turning away any treats people try to give us," he offered light-heartedly. He already knew what Mark was going to say, "We don't need them in the house if you don't want them. I could toss what we don't need, too. So you don't have to look at them."

"Don't you dare," Mark swiftly warned, landing a hand harshly on his husband's thigh with a frown marring his features. He chanced a threatening glare, letting it be known that he meant business and that if Yuta were to do anything with his desserts he would be furious, "I'll be so upset, and then I'll have to make cookies myself, and I don't think you'd want that." 

Yuta smirked and continued with his task, but not without taking that threat to heart. Mark was not the most skilled cook in the kitchen and if he tried to bake cookies it would surely be a mess and could even end in a house fire. They'd had close enough incidents before, far too close to be comfortable. Yuta was going to listen to Mark for the sake of their house and their lives. 

"I won't, I promise," Yuta grinned, momentarily taking a moment to stare at Mark so he could admire him. He was frowning yes, but with the way his cheeks rounded out from pregnancy and all the sweets he had been inhaling, the scowl was too cute not to marvel at. Yuta giggled and launched forward so he could steal a kiss on those pouty lips before Mark could even think of pushing him away, "I'll make whatever you want and more," Yuta quickly dipped his finger into the frosting that was spread onto the board without breaking eye contact, then he bopped Mark's nose so that there was vanilla frosting covering the tip, "Because I love you." 

Mark's frown melted into a pleased and amused smile, "I love you, too," he echoed sweetly, hearts in his eyes. He then wiped the frosting off and licked it off his finger. The sweetness and sugar made him happy, "Now give me a proper kiss," he demanded, pursing his lips for yet another kiss from Yuta. His stomach was delightfully twisting in knots, joy overcoming his soul because Yuta could bring out the best of him in moments he least expected it. 

Yuta giggled and scrunched his nose, smile wide and ridiculous as he happily obliged, kissing his husband with that same smile on his face. And while he was occupied with kissing, Mark snuck his own finger into the frosting wonderland and made sure to get a decent amount on his fingertip before smearing the sticky sweetness onto his husband's skin. Yuta pulled away and yelped but the damage was done, a long stripe of white frosting stuck to his cheek. Mark laughed in mischievous joy, giving Yuta a taste of his own medicine. 

The older grabbed a napkin to clean himself up all while continuing to laugh like a mad man, "Alright alright, you got me," he admitted defeat, "I'm done," there was still a small smear of the icing on his cheek but Mark wasn't going to say anything about it, "We should start before all the frosting has left the board," he guessed, sure that if they continued their little game there would be nothing left to work with. He started to fix the areas they had disturbed, returning to its previously smooth scape. 

"Okay," Mark agreed and leaned back in his chair. He had to smooth his Christmas pajamas back over his bump since they shifted in the small movement, a stripe of stretchmarks revealing themselves to the world. That was typical with how big and round he was. He thought back to the time he thought he was huge at only twenty weeks along. How he yearned deeply for those days, the days when his belly didn't take up most of the room in his lap and the days when he could get up from a chair on his own. Those days would return soon, but he could barely wait. 

The two were spending Christmas mostly between themselves. The baby wasn't due for another few weeks but that was close enough to leave Mark dead tired most of the time and he couldn't be bothered to stress himself out over traveling and readying himself for Christmas madness. His mother and father were staying out in Canada this time around, instead saving their flight out for when their granddaughter was born. Yuta's parents were spending their own Christmas in Australia, somewhere warm so they didn't have to deal with the cold and snow. So for the whole season, there was no one to entertain and Mark was soaking up the peace and quiet. Although, it was never really quiet when Yuta was around. 

"I want to make the best house for our gingerbread men," Yuta declared with a smile, "I want to make everything perfect for them. Oh! We should put furniture inside the house! Maybe use the bits we cut off to build a couch and a bed!" Yuta exclaimed, eyes wide with excitement and that creative motivation. Now that they were starting, his true enthusiasm was revealing itself. 

"We probably have enough for a bed," Mark guessed, glancing over his shoulder at the kitchen counter where he had cut out the shape of their gingerbread walls, leaving excess on the baking sheet. It was raw dough but they could bake it for a few minutes and it could work as a hard surface, "But what if we used that for a sled instead? Put some gummy bears on top and they can ride down a hill?" Mark suggested, down for either idea. 

Yuta cooed, "Oo, I like that better," nodding his head vigorously, very animated. Yuta turned his head and quickly grabbed a gummy bear from its pouch on the table, "These poor guys need some of their own fun. Don't want to make them feel left out," Yuta softly placed the gummy bear he held in his hand on top of Mark's belly, making it jump and bounce against his pajamas, "And they'll need a hill to sled down," he smiled mischievously. 

While Mark wanted to disagree, he couldn't. Had Yuta been the one pregnant he would have made the same comparison. He instead swatted Yuta's hand away and watched as he popped the candy into his mouth, "That's so rude," their daughter kicked as though in agreement and Mark appreciated the affirmation, "Even your daughter thinks so," he crossed his arms over his chest and pouted once more, far too cute to be dismissed, "No need to point out how huge I am."

Yuta disregarded his scolding an instead focused on the mention of their daughter, "Is she kicking?" Yuta asked, placing his hand on the top of Mark's bump where he knew she would be the most active. He felt so often he knew exactly where to put his hand to get the biggest movements. And sure enough, she gave her father a nice kick to the hand. He smiled proudly, "She wants to join in on the fun." 

"She doesn't know what's going on," Mark reminded, uncrossing his arms to rest his hand on the side of his bump where he could feel what he guessed was an elbow, "But if you want to think she's experiencing FOMO then you can," Mark laughed, knowing how ridiculous Yuta typically was. His pout was gone and he was back to being endeared. It was hard to stay annoyed with Yuta. 

Eventually, she did stop but Yuta wanted to marvel in the feeling of his daughter longer. It was as though Yuta had completely forgotten what they were doing. Mark had to remind him, "The sleds?" 

"Oh!" he shook his head, trying to steer his thoughts back to their gingerbread house, "I can pop them in the oven now," Yuta offered speedily, already hopping out of his chair to do what he said he would. Although, he had to kiss Mark on the cheek again before he left his side, "It's a simple rectangle, I can do that easy." 

"Do that then," Mark insisted, reaching over to open up the packs of candy they had stacked on their table. He wanted to start with the house and build up the walls but he wanted to do that with Yuta first. He didn't want him to miss a single thing, "Hurry up so we can put up the house's skeleton." 

"I'm hurrying!" Yuta exclaimed with a loud laugh, hurriedly cutting shapes out so he could slide them into the oven, "Three minutes and they'll be done," he paused, "You don't actually eat a gingerbread house do you?" he asked, not knowing the basics of anything doing with this activity. 

"You don't have to. Some people do, but it's more for decoration," Mark informed, popping a single chocolate drop into his mouth. All of this candy within his sight was too tempting and he was holding himself back from inhaling everything within his peripheral. The gummy bears especially, but they needed those for the sleds. 

"Good, because these might burn," Yuta claimed as he sat back down in his seat with a plop. Mark was ready to argue that they should leave them in for a shorter amount of time but Yuta was already speaking, "But it doesn't matter. Help me lift the walls," he demanded with no break in-between sentences, grabbing the walls swiftly yet carefully and plopping them onto the board with a fervor. Mark laughed and grabbed the piping bags, ready to carefully glue everything together. 

They managed to lift the walls and even added the slanted roof on top before the 'sleds' were finished baking. They were a little overcooked, but not burnt as Yuta claimed they would be. The time before they were finished baking was spent with a lot of Mark hysterically laughing at almost everything Yuta did and Yuta going at the speed of light, all too excited to build his first gingerbread house. He had mentioned something about it taking too long to make their house and how he was growing impatient. He wanted desperately to get to the decorating part and Mark agreed that that was the most entertaining. 

So they went at it. They added patterns of icing on the roof to imitate shingles and drips of it along the edges to imitate icicles. They mapped out windows and a door so their gingerbread men could enter and exit, making sure it was all neat and straight lines. They utilized their architectural skills, Yuta more than Mark since their daughter was making it hard for her mother to really be a help. Every time she kicked Mark's hand jolted and whatever was in his hand at the time usually landed on the table. The frustration built up but Yuta didn't let his husband lose his spirit, instead claiming that their daughter was just trying to join in on the fun (yet again). This was a ridiculous notion but it made Mark smile and giggle to himself, sneaking a kiss from his husband whenever he could, endeared to no end. 

It was Yuta's job to add the sled, using miniature candy canes as the runners and covering the base with red icing. He added two gummy bears on top, beginning to slide down a hill made of piled on frosting. Mark was sure the sled was going to sink into the frosting hill over time but for now, it was adorable and perfect. 

Mark added chocolate kisses along the peak of the roof, adjusting them before they could slide off, and really admired their work. They'd just finished the house, built just to their liking and with every detail possible. It was gorgeous and Mark knew this was the best gingerbread house he had ever made. All thanks to Yuta and his infinite enthusiasm. 

Mark looked to his left for a paper towel so he could wipe off the frosting that somehow stuck to his wrist and caught sight of the gingerbread men that were bare and patiently waiting for the two to dress them. He had almost forgotten they'd made men too, "Should we start on the gingerbread men?" Mark asked, already making plans of how he would decorate his own cookie. 

"Yes! Gimme," Yuta demanded, making grabby hands at his husband in hopes that he could hold his gingerbread man faster. It was so ridiculous that Mark had to roll his eyes. A literal child. He handed him the cookie and Yuta squealed, grabbing a piping bag full of blue icing, "I'm going to make you." 

"And I'll make you," Mark assured, grabbing the white frosting so he could add long strings of white along the gingerbread man's head. Yuta's hair was long and white, currently tied up in a bun to keep it out of his face and out of their gingerbread land. Mark loved the look and Yuta was of course a big fan as well, having grown it out and kept it healthy for months now. The older had no plans to cut it any time soon and probably wouldn't have the time to when Baby was here. That promised months more of the look and Mark was perfectly okay with it. 

Mark had just finished added a pair of boots to his gingerbread Yuta when he looked over to check on Yuta's progress. Yuta was adding to parentheses on the abdomen of the gingerbread man and while it looked out of place at first, Mark could soon identify what he was doing. Mark didn't know how Yuta did it, but he made his gingerbread man look hugely pregnant and it had Mark sighing. That was his life, "Are you really making gingerbread Mark pregnant?" he took a closer look and admired the details but that was a little much. 

"I am! Since human Mark is pregnant," Yuta informed him as though it was an unknown fact, "I want to keep it realistic," he claimed as he added buttons down the middle of the abdomen. 

"Realistic," Mark chuckled wholeheartedly. They were decorating homemade cookies, and he still wanted to keep it realistic, "You're doing a good job then," he turned his head to face Yuta again, the older too focused on his cookie again. Mark giggled and leaned forward the best he could to place a kiss on Yuta's cheek. Yuta smiled wide after that, heart beating for Mark.

Soon enough, they had finished their gingerbread Mark and Yuta and were placing them at the front of their house, round hands overlaying the other so it looked like they were holding hands. The details were astonishing and it was adorable. Their gingerbread house was finished and the hour and a half of work they'd put into it was all worth it for the final product. 

"We're done then?" Mark asked as he started to wipe away the frosting and sprinkles that had spilled onto the table. The mess had been bothering him since the first sprinkle made contact with the wood but Yuta wasn't exactly the tidiest when it came to doing _anything_ really. If he tried cleaning the mess right away it would be all for naught, so he left it for the end when they were finished and there was no more mess to make. 

"I think so," Yuta mused, eyes glancing over their finished work, over the crushed peppermint walking path lined with a gumdrop barrier. He stared at the blue icing pond with gummy bears standing at the shore, a few fish swimming in the waves. The line of sleds riding down the hill onto a smooth landing strip was one of his favorite parts. He stared at the wreaths they'd made out of M&Ms and the Christmas tree made out of stacked gumdrops. Then at the gingerbread men holding hands at their front door. He and Mark, smiles on their faces and in complete, sugary bliss, "Everything looks good." 

"Then will you help me clean up?" Mark asked as he grabbed the paper towels that sat to his side. The frosting globbed dangerously close to Yuta's arm was nearly giving him a headache. He didn't want it caked onto his husband's shirt sleeve so he could surely spread it further onto the table and all over himself. Thinking about it, it was almost like Mark already had a baby to watch after. 

"Yes. Wait!" Yuta exclaimed, after having stared at the gingerbread man for too long, "I have one thing left!" Yuta exclaimed, bolting from his chair and running back into the kitchen. Mark sighed; he'd have to deal with the mess for a few minutes longer and he wasn't sure how he was going to do it. He picked a few sprinkles up with his fingertips and placed them onto the paper towel, enough to pacify his desire for the kitchen to be clean. It was a step closer, he just wished Yuta would speed up. 

"I have this," Yuta revealed, holding out something for Mark to take, smile ridiculously huge. Mark held his hand out open palmed for whatever Yuta wanted to give him and the older dutifully placed it in his palm. Mark lowered his hand until it was fully in his view, not getting the chance to let his brain have one thought before Yuta was revealing what it was, impatient and excited, "It's Baby." 

It was not their baby but a miniature, lumpy looking gingerbread shaped into a body representing their baby. It had a round little head, two uneven arms, and two short legs, uneven dough baked thoroughly and a little dark around the edges, just like the sleds. Even though it was not the best representation of their baby, Mark loved it and it had a goofy smile plastered onto his features, heart beating hard against his chest out of pure joy.

"When did you make this?" Mark asked, studying the clumsily made gingerbread baby further. Even though not the best, it was adorable and gorgeous to him. This was his figurative baby and it meant a lot to his heart that his husband would make this for him. It was thoughtful and made him so happy. 

"When I went to bake the sleds," Yuta revealed, pointing out the sleds tracking through the frosting, "It was a good cover-up. I didn't want you to know until the very end, wanted to keep it a surprise," he bent over until both his arms were wrapped around Mark's neck from behind, resting his chin on Mark's shoulder, turning his head so he could place several kisses on his full cheek, "Do you like it?"

"I love it," Mark chirped, turning the gingerbread baby delicately in his hand so he could get a look at all angles. The only smooth and even part of the cookie was the back that had laid out on the baking sheet but despite that detail, it was perfect, "She's so cute."

"I knew you'd like it," Yuta claimed confidently when in reality he was afraid Mark would have been critical of the hurriedness he had taken to create the gingerbread baby. It wasn't his best work and it was kind of a mess, but if Mark liked it then mission accomplished, "We can put her right with her mother and father," Yuta pointed, aiming right towards where they had placed the gingerbread versions of themselves. There was a perfect space just for Baby and it made Mark's stomach flutter with butterflies. This was too much cuteness; it was hard for his heart to handle. 

Mark leaned forward and placed her right in-between gingerbread Mark and Yuta, making her rest right over their touching hands. It was perfect, bringing a satisfied smile to Mark's features. He momentarily considered decorating her too but he had no idea what his baby looked like. He wanted to keep her image a mystery until she was here. It was an artistic choice, but it was one he preferred. Yuta didn't ask questions; he liked the look of it too, "There's you, me, and baby." 

"Our family," Yuta cooed, snuggling into Mark's neck happily. His hair was tickling Mark's skin, "It's perfect." 

"Thank you for doing this with me," Mark mused, turning his head so he could kiss Yuta's nose, the only thing he could properly reach without moving too much. He preferred they'd had been his lips but his nose worked too, "You've made my day." 

"You've made mine, too," Yuta giggled happily, "We should make a gingerbread house every year," he pulled away, heading to sit back down in the kitchen table chair. 

"Yet another Christmas tradition to add to the list," Mark noted, looking forward to the years ahead of them. Next Christmas they would have a daughter to celebrate it with, and the following Christmases, possibly one or two more children joining their small crowd, "They're starting to rack up." 

"They are," Yuta agreed, gently tapping Mark's wrist to gain his attention. Mark turned his head to make eye contact and was met with his husband holding a chocolate kiss in his mouth between his teeth, "Wanna kiss?" he asked, slightly muffled from the candy in his mouth, "I wanna give you a kiss." 

Mark felt his heart blaze in love for his husband. He was silly, and goofy, and hilarious and he wondered how he had gone through so much of life without him. He leaned forward and took the kiss from between his teeth with his own teeth, chewing it before actually kissing Yuta with the sweetness resonating between them both. It had butterflies fluttering in his tummy again, or maybe that was his daughter reacting to the pace of Mark's heart, but whatever the case they were all happy. Mark was happy, Yuta was happy, and Baby was happy. It was a very merry Christmas indeed for their small family. 

**Author's Note:**

> NCT 2020 may be ending but my bullshit isn't
> 
> Also a very merry Christmas to everyone, stay safe and be kind <<<333


End file.
